Turntable



R. CRAIG Aug. 17 1926.

v TURNTABLE Filed April 24, 1926 Patented Aug. '17, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,5963% PATENT. OFFICE.

ROBERT CRAIG, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

TURNTABLE.

Application filed April 24, 1926. Serial No. 104,274.

may be placed in front of any particular parking space or stall in order to assist in moving an automobile from stall. to aisle, or vice versa.

Such turntables are commonly called transfer turntables, and that is the class of machine to which my present invention belongs, being an improvement in the turn-- table disclosed in my Patent No. 1,237,022, issued August 14, 1917.

That turntable is of the pitless type, adapted tor installation entirely above the floor. and comprises a frame to which are attached runways or pans for the vehicle wheels, the machine being provided with wheels which permit its rotation about a central pivot.

The present invention provides the above pitless turntable with a; set of auxiliary wheels by means of which the whole machine may be transferred bodily to the position where it is to be used. The auxiliary wheels are manipulable by a hand lever, and means are provided to automatically control the central pivot to cause it to engage the floor when the machine is to function as a turntable and to rise out of contact with the floor when the machine is to be trans ferred to a new position. machine is transferred on rails set into the floor.

Further and other objects and advantages will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanying specification and claims, and shown in the drawings, which by way of illustration show what is now considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the complete machine.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1, with the turntable wheels on the floor, the transfer wheels being off the floor.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, with the transfer wheels on the floor and the turntable wheels off the floor.

Fig. 4 is an end view of one of the shoes. with its wheels, together with a portion of the frame, and a transfer Wheel.

Preferably the f Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the turntable pivot.

The turntable proper comprises four shoes or pans 10, each mounted on a pair of wheels 12. The wheel axes are on radial lines drawn to the floor at the center of the turntable pivot which is designated generally as 14. The rims of the wheels are frust-ums of cones tangent to the, floor surface, therefore they roll easily on the floor, without any I sliding contact.

The shoes 10 are fastened to a frame comprising longitudinal angle members 16, cross angles 18, and central platef20, all bolted or riveted together.

Pivot device: 14 is'secured to plate 20.

The transfer mechanism comprises two cross shafts 22 mounted for rotation in bearings 24 fast to side angles 16. Fast on each shaft 22 are two members 26, each having two projecting arms which provide support forthe axle of one of the four transfer wheels 28. Projecting downwardly from each member 26 is an arm 30. Mounted on plate 20 is a bearing 82 in which is carried an eccentric device comprising a shaft 36 having on each end a pin 34, the. two pins being diametrically opposite each other. Each'pin 34 is connected by a link 38 to a pin 40 in one'of the depending arms 30. I

Secured toone end of the shaft 26 isa hand lever 42, arranged to be moved from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to a position diametrically opposite as in Fig. 3.

It will be'obs'erved that in Figs. 2 and 4 the turntable wheels 12 rest on the floor and transfer wheels 28 are well out of contact with the floor or truck, in which position the turntable'may be rotated. In Fig. 3, however, lever 42 has been moved, links 38 have been drawn toward the center of the machine, arms 30 and shafts 22 have been rotated, and wheels 28 have been forced downwardly until the turntable wheels 12 are clear of the floor. With the parts in this position the whole nachine may be moved from place to place on wheels 28, preferably on rails 44 set with their tops flush with the floor.

The arrangement of lever 42 and links 38 is such that lever 42 is self-locking in either of its operative positions and no latch de vice is required to prevent inadvertent movement of lever42, the line of thrust or tension of links 38 being always below the centenofdiscs 3 l,;and tending .to .hold the parts in locked position.

When the machine is functioning as a turntable it is desirable to have the pivot in contact with the floor in order that the turntable wheels 12 will roll in a true circle,

and in order that the transfer Wheels 28' will be brought back to register with .the rails after the rotation of the turntable is completed. l lowever, whenthermachine is to be transferred on wheels 28 it. is necessary that the;pivot beout of contact vwith the -floor, otherwise-the machine could not. be

moved, except to rotate it.

-Engagement and disengagement of v. the

pivot is-accomplished by-the device. shown in Fig. 5,;which comprises-a hollow housing castingefihavinga flange e8 whichis bolted to plate 20. Contained within housing 46 is l a ball bearing 50 confined between. a shoulder formed in castinglGand a collar. 52 held in position by-one ormore-serewsbl. -Passing freely downwardly through the center of bearing 50 is a vertical stenr56zhaving collar 58 pinnedto itsupper enchand a -=flangedplug--60 fast oni-its lower end, "the bottom surface of plug. (SO-being .faced with a rubber orifibre pad 62. Between.bearing '50 and plug-fiO-is acoil compression spring 64. Plug 60 isan easy-slidingnfit in hous- Whenever the turntable isxin 'the position shown in Fig. 2,-ready'for rotation,- pad '62 isin-contact with the-- floor, andplug 60 has; b'ee'n forcedupwardlyagainst. spring 64. Itis evident that by adjusting the still- '-''ness of :spring 651, any desired pressure. may

*be' appliedto pad 62, limited only byathe. weightof-the ent-ire machine. Padp62- is:

always automatically pressed into-"contact with the-floor when the machine is arranged sfor rotation, and holds ithezmachine on a fixed center during rotation.

table is raised or lowered.

Since fiange-4E8-is fast to center .plate20, it; is raised' 'or lowered whenever: the :turn- The vertical travel of plug 60 is limited by collar 58,

that is,-"when housing 46 is raised with plate '20" by the'action othand lever. 42,- padi62 will remainincontact ,with the floor until collar 5Srests on hearing 50, whereupon any further vertical upward movement of housing L6 will raise pad 62 clear of the floor, as shown in Fig. 3, in which position of pad 62 the machine is free to be transported on wheels 28. This action takes .place automatically whenever hand lever 42 is moved to transfer position, that is, to the position shown inFig. 3.

As wheelsl2 roll on the floor, without a metal track between .wheels and Y floor, I

@usually provide the wheels with rubber or prising in combination, a vehicle support,

means attached tosaid support for rotating .it-on-a. floor, meansattached to saicLsupport for transportingit bodily on,the fi o or,

devices shiftable to render eithersaid rotating or transporting means operable a nd atthe same time render the other means nonoperable. and a resil ent p vot dev ceuar- -ranged to automatically. engage the floor when said rotating means becomes operable, and to release the floor when said rotating means becomes non-operable. 2. .A machine for handling ,vehicles, co nprisingin combination, a set of,turntable wheels, shiftable means to place said wheels ,in operative or non-operative positionl on aifioor a,,c.evice for guiding saidwheels Whllrsll'l operative posit on, and automatic .IHGHDS torender said guiding device effecti h ver said wheels are placed in operativeposition said guiding device com- .pris ng a..1ne1nber arranged to n ak-et resili- .ent contactwith the floor while in effective position.

In testimony whereof I hereto Etffi 1l1y signature.

ROBERT, CRAIG- 

